December 28, 2006

Film

Will Ferrell is a very funny guy and the great thing about him is that he never plays it safe. But while he always swings for the fences he doesn’t always connect either. When it works Ferrell’s brand of fearless comedy can be a riot but when it doesn’t … well … then the results are more mixed as is the case with Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby, a send-up of all the racing movies that you may have ever seen such as Days Of Thunder.

Teaming up again with director and co-writer Adam McKay (the two brought us Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Bugundy not so long ago), Ferrell plays a typically (for him) slightly-removed-from-reality NASCAR driver who has to face down not only his nemesis (Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay Frenchman with an accent by way of Peter Sellers and Inspector Clouseau) but his own inner demons as well.

A few bits in the movie are fairly funny and the supporting cast –– including John C. Reilly, Gary Cole, Leslie Bibb, and Amy Adams –– is quite good but for much of its running length the movie seems to be idling and never quite gets into top gear. Overall, the sum is less than the parts. The funniest bits are the outtakes at the end. —Khusro Mumtaz

OR

In The Sentinel a 60-year-old Michael Douglas is up to what he’s been doing best on-screen for the past two decades –– namely romancing women (in this case Kim Basinger) that he shouldn’t and getting into trouble because of it. Keifer Sutherland, as a top secret service agent, looks like he’s wandered in from the sets of his television series 24 and Eva Longoria does what she does in Desperate Housewives which is look cute in tight clothing.

While the movie –– based on Gerald Petievich’s novel –– is adequately directed by Clark Johnson the feeling that we’ve seen it all before kills any sense of real tension. Douglas, as a top agent detailed to the US president’s security, also shows his age as he lumbers across the screen while the other, younger actors have to visibly hold themselves back to make the aging superstar look believable in the action scenes. The plot doesn’t quite hold up either –– what the bad guys really hope to achieve by assassinating the president is never quite made clear –– and the identity of the mole in the White House was evident to me from the get-go. There’s no real reason to watch this film. —K.M.

OR

In The Ant Bully, a little child Lucas (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) is bullied by the neighbourhood boys and takes his frustrations out on a colony of ants in his front lawn. What he doesn’t know is that the ants are sentient and view him as ‘the destroyer’. To protect themselves the ants take action and a wizard ant (Nicholas Cage) shrinks Lucas down to ant size. Now Lucas has to learn some hard lessons before he can be restored to his former self.

Barring its visual similarities to both Antz and A Bug’s Life, this is quite a charming little animated film with some exciting scenes as well (such as when the ants take on a bug exterminator). The movie also has fun playing with perspective (a shag carpet is as daunting as a forest for the little critters) and the animation can’t be faulted. Written and directed by John Davis and featuring the additional voice talents of Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Bruce Campbell, Paul Giamatti and Ricardo Montalban. Good fun. —K.M.

Single

One song that is sure to be a staple at mehendis this season is Beedi from Omkara. Performed in the film by Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi and the babelicious Bipasha Basu, this track is instantly infectious.

In fact, the entire musical score of Omkara is exceptional, which is not surprising considering that the film’s director Vishal Bharadwaj began his career as a composer. However, it is Beedi that has generated the biggest buzz because of its pop melody and provocative lyrics.

Composed by Bharadwaj himself and with lyrics by Gulzar, this track is a fun, flirty single for the masses that uplifts the melancholy feel of much of the rest of the film’s score. The boisterous single is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder Singh, with supporting vocals by Nachiketa Chakravorthy and Clinton Crejo.

The style of the song is typical UP/Bihar with a rustic touch. The beat is phat with a vibrant rhythm and a brilliant background use of tabla and dholak. With naughty lyrics this dance number adds a whimsical charm to the film.

Although the song is catchy upon first listen, once you see Bipasha Basu dance provocatively to it in the film, it will be difficult for you to get it out of your head.—T.U.D.

Album

American pop and R&B singer/song-writer/record producer/actress JoJo (Joanna Noëlle Levesque) has just released her second album The High Road.

Best known for her smash hit Leave (Get Out) off her self-titled debut album three years ago, JoJo is not new to fame. The phenomenal success of Leave made her, at the age of 13, the youngest solo artist to have a number-one single in America and also the youngest nominee for an MTV Video Music Award in 2004.

The High Road has great hit potential. It features the soulful How to Touch a Girl, the tick-tick-tickin’ Let It Rain and the hip ballad Anything which samples the 1982 Toto classic Africa.

The first release off The High Road is Too Little Too Late which shares a lot of the same musical arrangements and stylings as her earlier hit Leave, but is more sophisticated. The lyrics tell the tale of surviving heartbreak with the songstress revealing, Time has made me strong, I'm starting to move on.

The artist’s voice is also richer and more intense and her range seems to have broadened. In face, she hits notes in the “whistle register” on this track.

In 2004, she was personally invited by First Lady Laura Bush to perform at that year’s Christmas in Washington special, but turned down the honour because she did not agree with President Bush’s policies. The precocious teen is currently working on her third album which is expected to be released when the star turns 18.— T.U.D.


 

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